Baron de la Brede et de Montesquieu
France
18 Jan 1689 // 10 Feb 1755
Political Philosopher
18 Jan 1689 // 10 Feb 1755
Political Philosopher
Quotes
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An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations
The success of most things depends upon knowing how long it will take to succeed
Men, who are rogues individually, are in the mass very honorable people
Society is the union of men and not the men themselves
The deterioration of a government begins almost always by the decay of its principles
Republics end through luxury; monarchies through poverty
When God endowed human beings with brains, He did not intend to guarantee them
When the savages of Louisiana wish to have fruit, they cut the tree at the bottom and gather the fruit. That is exactly a despotic government
When a government is arrived to that degree of corruption as to be incapable of reforming itself, it would not lose much by being new moulded
To succeed in the world, we must be foolish in appearance, but really wise
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On Anger: "For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind."
Essays
Essays
On Destiny: "Our destiny exercises its influence over us even when, as yet, we have not learned its nature: it is our future that lays down the law of our today."
Human, All Too Human
Human, All Too Human
On Friendship: "A crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."
Essays
Essays